Special projects

Letter: Needed: a surge of respect for all lives

The family of fallen NYPD Officer Brian Moore — his sister Christine, center, and his father Raymond, right, — exit St. James Roman Catholic Church in Seaford after his funeral on Friday, May 8, 2015. Photo Credit: Newsday / Alejandra Villa

Another tragic and senseless killing; more families devastated ["A 'sad history' repeats," News, May 11]. What a terrible loss it is that Brian Moore, one of New York's Finest, lost his young life because he was trying to keep us safe. When will this insanity stop?

We need to practice respect and tolerance of others, which begins with self-respect, and it must be learned at home during childhood and then continued in our schools.

As a society, we must work harder to prevent people from entering into a life of crime and violence by giving them opportunities to better themselves. We must also find ways to keep weapons out of the hands of criminals and to create stiffer penalties and greater rehabilitation efforts for those who do resort to violence.

Imagine a world where we could have a minimal police force, and where we didn't have to worry about being killed because of our ethnicity, religious beliefs, country of citizenship or chosen profession. We need to start a new movement, "Respect Each Other," because we must coexist and because all lives matter.